Voltron Legendary Defender - To Be the Enemy
by lilasianmouse
Summary: After a blast of magic by a druid, our resident Red Paladin now LOOKS Galra, fully equipped with purple fur, ears, a tail, claws, the whole nine. So when Team Voltron is invited to celebrate the liberation of a newly freed planet from Galra, you can imagine Keith’s hesitation.
1. Chapter 1 - Galran Traits

**AUTHORS NOTES _**

 **I do NOT own Voltron Legendary Defender**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

Keith felt out of place. They had just cleared a planet of Galran tyranny. The inhabitants of said planet wanted to celebrate and thank them with a ceremony and a banquet.

The problem?

Ever since a Druid had hit him with some quintessence-infused magic, his Galran DNA had overlapped his human DNA, and he now had purple fur, fuzzy ears that reminded him of a mixture of wolf and cat ears, a freakin' tail, and sharp claws and fangs. At first he HATED himself. He looked like one of them. He gave Shiro a panic attack.

But when Pidge was captured he snuck in dressed as a soldier. Their plan worked flawlessly and he grabbed her and left as quick as Red could fly. Haggar was **_pissed_**.

But now he had to leave the safety of his armor and helmet. He always got disgusted looks or flinches of fear.

Now he sat in the castle, fiddling with the armor that kept him safe and concealed. It wouldn't hide his purple fur, the tail, his glowing yellow eyes, his claws or fangs. A knock at his door made him startle, but he quickly regained composure and opened the door.

"Dude, we're supposed to be at that celebration thing in like, two doboshes." Lance said, clearly in a rush. Keith could only assume that the blue paladin was anxious to meet the female inhabitants of this planet. From Lance's expression, Keith assumed that his ears had flattened against his head.

"I don't think I'll be going." He said quietly, fidgeting with his helmet. His tail swished around behind him, tucking slightly in between his legs. Lance frowned, unsure as to why his teammate was acting so gloomy.

Well, gloomier than usual.

"Hey, if you think it's because you're-"

"What, a freak?" Keith snarled lightly. "I can't look in a mirror without flinching. Imagine what a whole race will do to me when they see a Paladin of Voltron is actually one of the things they were enslaved by!" He all but yelled. Lance visibly sagged. "Look," Keith ran a claw through his hair, "just.. go on. Meet some girls, go have fun."

Lance, to the Red Paladin's mild astonishment, brushed past Keith and went into his room. His indignant spluttering went unnoticed by Lance as he stood in Keith's room.

"I'm not leaving if you're not going. Don't assume what they'll think, dude." He crossed his arms. "You literally just saved their asses. The LEAST they could do is throw you on a chair and parade you around d the town." Keith's ears perked up slightly, a small sigh escaping his lips. "If you want, I can ask Allura if we can wear our armor too?" Keith visibly relaxed, but his ears were still mostly flat against his head.

"Fine," he bit out, "but I'm sticking with you guys the whole night."

"Let's catch up with the others."

 ** _VOLTRON__**

Shiro would never deny the fact that he was extremely proud of his little brother. Well, adopted brother but still. When they were in school together he would always brag about Keith's grades or his ability to pilot. But when he found out that the Red Paladin was half Galra, he may or may not have internally shut down.

The very race that captured his crew, took his arm and left him with no choice but to fight or die. His little brother was made from the same DNA as those monsters. But Keith himself had taken vast strides to show Shiro that he could still trust in him, and that he was still Keith. When Shiro saw the Druid zapping his brother with quintessence infused bolts of magic, all he saw was red. He must've destroyed about every droid and Galran soldier that came to stop them. He remembered holding an unconscious and battered Keith in his arms as he ran for the Black Lion, its thoughts on getting them all back to the castle by any means. It tore through the Galra fighters and even a ship with an ion cannon.

It was little bits at first, but at dinner one night Keith went to his room early, saying that his mouth hurt. The next day, he wouldn't say anything to anyone unless his helmet was on, and even then his visor was darkness dramatically. Or when Keith kept running into walls and ended up holding a hand against one whenever he walked. Little things like this kept happening until Keith was basically LIVING in his armor. Shiro knew something was definitely up, but didn't push it. He knew how Keith worked, and he knew that whenever the Red Paladin felt ready, he'd open up to him.

And then when it happened, it was a complete and utter disaster. Keith was injured during a fight and refused to seek medical attention. He grabbed a med-kit from the castle's infirmary and stormed off to his room. When Shiro knocked on his door, Keith sounded scared. Almost, upset. Shiro practically knocked down the door to get to his little brother and when he saw him...

 _Shiro stood there, eyes wide. Keith stood there, only his lower half covered in armor still. His whole body was covered in a light layer of purple fur. His eyes were completely yellow and his ears reminded Shiro of fluffy cat ears. A tail sbehind him, sticking awkwardly out of his armor._

 _"Shiro.." was all Keith could manage. Quiznak, he even had fangs. Unbeknownst to him, Shiro's Galra prosthetic started to glow with the all-too-familiar hum of purple energy. When he realized what he'd done, Keith had already yanked on a shirt and ran._

 _"Keith wait!" He yelled in vain, but Keith just kept running, not knowing or caring where he went. When he rounded what felt like the twelfth corner, he leaned against the wall, barely breathing heavily._

 _The walls reflected back a monster. Keith hated his reflection. He hated the Galra for making him into this... this freak. Keith's ears perked up when he heard footsteps, and he had a half a mind to run again. But really, what would it have done? So instead, he sat there, awaiting anything. Shiro rounded the corner and saw Keith sitting against the wall, looking up at him. He cautiously took a few steps forward before sitting down._

 _"I'm sorry I reacted like that. It was.." Instinct? Caution? Fear?_

 _"This is why I've been avoiding you. I'm one of them." Keith snarled angrily, tail giving a violent flick and it smacked against the wall. He clearly looked angry, though it wasn't directed at Shiro. It was being directed towards himself._

 _"Hey, you're not one of them." Shiro retorted gently. Keith scoffed._

 _"Have you looked at me lately? I highly beg to differ." He gave a harsh laugh._

 _"Were you the one that captured my crew and me on Kerberos?" Keith shook his head, his hair falling in his face. "Were you the one that took my arm from me?" Another shake of the head. "Were YOU the one that saved me from being experimented on?"_

 _Keith nodded, not really sure what message the Black Paladin was trying to convey. "Exactly. You didn't do anything evil, you're not evil. You aren't one of THEM. You're Keith, a half-human, half-Galra. You're my brother." Shiro said, putting an arm around the now silently crying Keith._

 _"They're gonna hate me. Allura couldn't even stand the fact that I was Galra, and now..."_

 _"Hey, don't do that. I'm sure she understands." Shiro stood, and lent a hand to Keith. Keith took it and stood with him. Standing there for a few moments, he suddenly latched on to Shiro, hugging him tightly._

 _"Thanks." He mumbled into Shiro's chest._

 _"C'mon, we'll go explain what happened."_

 **We**...

Static from the intercom brought Shiro out of his reverie.

"Attention Paladins. Since this is formal event we will be wearing our Paladin armor. This is a very warrior-like race, and will appreciate our efforts to... dress accordingly to their culture!" Allura said, sounding diplomatic and yet happy at the same time. Well that works - he hadn't even thought about changing into anything other than his armor in the first place. A knock on the door had the Black Paladin moving. He looked down at Pidge, who had all four mice perched on her shoulders.

"We're gonna be late Shiro!" She said hurriedly, and practically dragged him out of his room. He quickly caught up with her pace, which was astonishingly fast for someone of her size, and they walked briskly down the hall to the entrance of the Castle. They met up with the others, who were all suited up in their armor, including Keith, who had his helmet on and his tail shoved uncomfortably in his armor. He had bound it with tape and cloth, hoping it wouldn't move. It was uncomfortable and he would no doubt be in pain tomorrow. Sighing, he looked up and saw that everyone else had their armor on and it made him feel slightly better. Shiro put his helmet on after dumping the mice (gently) on the ground.

"Alright team, lets go."


	2. Chapter 2 - R’djurl

**Author's Notes**

 **Hi! Thanks for reading! I don't own Voltron, or anything affiliated with it, I'm just a writer!**

 **(For some reason, formatting won't allow me to put spaces in between paragraphs, so you're stuck reading one large blurb of text - apologies!)**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

The Castle doors opened and the dusk sun shone bright in their eyes. Crowds of the now-free aliens cheered for them. They threw foreign flowers and leaves and what looked like candy. Hunk bent down and gingerly popped one in his mouth. He brightened up.

"They taste like cinnamon donuts!" He said excitedly and pocketed a few as he ate another one. Team Voltron made their way down to the crowds and began to mingle. Keith stuck by Shiro and Lance, Pidge talked tech with the others, and Hunk ended up bagging the candies.

"I am B'dj're, Chief of the Pl'xxra." A humanoid looking alien approached them. He wore a warriors garb with different shells and stones. Various teeth were strewn across his chest like it was a trophy. "I thank you Paladins for freeing my planet and my people from the Galra."

"You are very welcome," Allura bowed respectfully, a smile forming on her face. "If you would, I would like to discuss terms on alliances. We have the Olkari, the Blade of Marmora, and other various planets that are in alliance with Voltron against Zarkon."

"Of course," B'dj're replied, motioning for Allura to follow him, "we can discuss this inside." While they walked away, Lance was flirting with some feminine looking Pl'xxra.

"Hey, are you a supernova?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Because you just blow me away." Lance gave his signature grin and finger guns. The female gave a 'chirraf' and walked away, clearly unamused and uninterested. Lance groaned and his shoulders sagged.

"Don't pout too much, they'll probably take it as a sign." Shiro said with a small grin. "Better luck next time buddy."

"Can we go?" Keith muttered, his ears bent awkwardly inside his helmet. "I feel like they're staring."

"Well they probably are." Shiro said, looking around at the various Pl'xxra that were around them, "We did just liberate their planet of the last of Zarkon's forces here." Keith just huffed and shrunk further into his older brother's shadow. Lance saw another female Pl'xxra on the other side of the courtyard and tried again.

"Hey girl, are you a rocket ship? Because I'd totally blast off into space with you." The female giggled and blushed a deep blue. Lance, encouraged by this response, decided to continue. "The name's Lance."

"I am H'f'dre." She said warmly. Suddenly a very large Pl'xxra approached the two.

"H'f'dre!" The male Pl'xxra quite literally growled, "who is this?"

"Kx'sdre, this is the Lance!" She replied happily. "He is talking with me!"

"You were talking with my consort?" He snarled, reaching for his knife. Lance immediately backed up a few paces.

"Woah, sorry dude! Didn't know she was taken!" He apologized, hoping to get out of this mess quickly. Kx'sdre, however, wasn't having it, and advanced. Keith and Shiro had noticed at this point and the Red Paladin was quick to act. He stepped between the two, and stood in a protective stance in front of Lance.

"You heard him, it was an accident." Keith said lowly. Shiro crossed his arms, frowning. He didn't want Keith to do something he'd regret, but he also didn't want there to be any fighting. Kx'sdre looked down at Keith and sniffed the air around him. The young Galra tensed up, his tail shifting uncomfortably under the cloth that he bound it with.

"You're not one of them... you're scent is..." he sniffed the air again, "different." Keith inwardly cursed, but kept a cool composure.

"I'm not asking again," Keith growled, his ears in his helmet flat against his head, "leave him alone." Kx'sdres lips curled back in a snarl but he strayed where he was as the three Paladins made their way to Hunk and Pidge. Keith saw movement out of the corner of his eye and whirled around. He saw Kx'sdre advancing on them with a rock, and he instinctively got in front of Lance and Shiro as a shield. The Pl'xxra gave a warriors cry and went to throw the rock when Keith drew his bayard and sliced the rock in half.

"Kx'sdre stop!" H'f'dre shouted, but she was ignored. The angry Pl'xxra gave another warriors cry and charged. Keith was quick, but an angry Pl'xxra was ruthless. Kx'sdre gave a mean backhand and Keith managed to avoid the worst of the brutal hit, but miscalculated his duck. It hit the lower part of his jaw and sent him to the ground.

"Keith!" Shiro shouted, and he ran to the Red Paladin's side. Keith groaned, and his ears flattened when he realized that his helmet had fallen off. A crowd of Pl'xxra gathered and were shocked to see that one of the Paladins of Voltron was actually a Galra.

"You're a Galra!" Kx'sdre snarled. Keith leaned closer to Shiro, who was currently kneeling next to him. Shiro stood and with a swift stride, stood right in front of Kx'sdre

"Before anything else happens that you'll regret, I suggest you back off." He said lowly, his prosthetic arm crackling to life with the purple energy.

"You have an **infection** aboard your ship, on your team of warriors. Better to cut if off then let it spread." The Pl'xxra growled. Keith wasn't paying attention to the conversation, but was listening to the whispers of the aliens.

 _"Galra scum."_

" _He's a r'jdurl_." R'jdurl. He knew what that meant. It was an extremely derogatory term for any alien, no matter the race. His vision went blurry and his tail finally lashed out, free from the confines of his bindings.

 **R'jdurl** …

 **Freak...**

 **Scum**

 **Infection...**

 _I have to get out._ He thought, his breath hitching in his throat as panic seized his mind. He vaguely registered that Shiro was now in front of him, gently shaking Keith.

"-reathe Keith! You have to snap out if it!" Shiro was shouting. Keith, in a sudden rush of adrenaline, got up and darted past Shiro and out of the courtyard. He blindly ran in the woods, his hypersensitive ears picking up footsteps behind him. He was too panicky to register that it wasn't any of the Pl'xxra in pursuit, but his older brother. The Black Paladin followed Keith, and despite that his lungs started to burn, he kept up. Keith literally scaled a tree and breathed heavily, his senses on overdrive.

"Keith, it's me. Come down'" Shiro shouted, but there was no response. After a moment, he finally heard Keith move.

"H-had to get out of there." Keith said between breaths. "They knew." Shiro could hear the panicked inhaling, or at least the younger Paladin's attempts to inhale.

"So what if they knew?" Shiro tried to reason, "You just saved them, they should be thankful."

"Yeah, a whole race once captured by Galra get saved by a r'jdurl." He winced slightly at the word. "They were gonna tear me apart, Shiro."

"What's a r'jdurl?" Shiro asked, feeling slightly confused.

"It's an alien word that every race knows. It's a really, really bad expletive for 'half-breed.'" Keith explained, still shaking slightly. "I-We shouldn't've even come here.. I shouldn't-I can't…" He stuttered, very much unlike himself. Shiro knew what was happening. Keith was having a really, really bad panic attack. He could hear his stuttered breathing, and his inability to form legitimate sentences. Shiro decided that enough was enough, and started scaling the tree. He managed to throw one leg over to a branch next to Keith's and _**quiznak**_ these branches were huge. He sat down in front of Keith, who was currently tucked up in a ball, his knees to his chest and his head down.

Keith, you need to calm down." He crawled closer. " _Akira Kogane, listen to me_." This snapped the younger paladin out of his panic attack enough to look at Shiro with tear-filled eyes, tail tucked between himself and a knot in his stomach. The use of his full name made him listen to the Black Paladin.

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled, wiping his eyes with his claw. "I'm so-" Keith stopped when he was engulfed in Shiro. Shiro held him tightly, his chin resting against the top of Keith's head.

"Don't be sorry.." Shiro murmured. He pulled away and looked at the younger Paladin in the eyes, despite how much Keith wanted to avoid eye contact. " _Anata wa daijōbudesu_." He whispered.

"I don't want to go back to the celebration." Keith muttered, ears flat.

"That's okay, we don't have to. How about we go back to the Castle and you can get some rest?" Shiro offered, already beginning to descend down the giant tree. Keith followed him and the two hit the ground with a roll to counter gravity. The two started to head back to the castle feeling a little lighter about the situation.


	3. Chapter 3 - O’xtrnis

**Hello, LilAsianMouse here!**

 **Thanks for reading Voltron - To Be the Enemy**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave a review if you'd like to!**

 **(Note - Updates will be sporadic, since school exists and it takes up a lot of my time - lo siento!)**

Elsewhere, Lance, Hunk and Pidge were all together, no longer enjoying the party as much. Lance felt extremely guilty. HE was the one to cause a disruptance, and yet Keith paid the price. Kx'sdre was taken away by his consort and the festivities commenced, whispers about the Galran paladin floating around. Hunk wanted to punch anyone and everyone who was talking poorly of their resident Red Paladin. The moon overhead illuminated the reflective lights the Pl'xxra built. They all found themselves around a fire, the elder Pl'xxra telling stories.

"Have you ever heard the tale of the O'xtrnis Princess?" A young Pl'xxra asked Allura. She smiled and shook her head.

"I'm afraid I have not. Would you like to tell me?" She asked.

"The O'xtrnis is a deadly creature that slithers on the ground and its bite is venomous!" The young Pl'xxra exclaimed. Another joined in, dancing around the fire. More joined in and the first Pl'xxra continued. "It's stare entrances you, and when you realize it, you'll be eaten!"

"That sounds scary!" Allura feigned shock. An elderly Pl'xxra cleared their throat and the dancing and commotion died down instantly.

"Do not throw your caution to the wind, Princess of Altea. The O'xtrnis is real, and the only thing that it thinks of is food and blood. They live in the dark forests of Briril." The elder pointed a finger beyond their village. "We have barriers that protect our homes. The O'xtrnis refuse to live in light and only come out for food and blood."

Pidge looked at where the older Pl'xxra had pointed. She blanched and turned to Hunk and Lance.

"Isn't that where Keith and Shiro ran off to?" She said, her voice barely above a whisper. Lance looked at Hunk and shot up. Allura heard, and she stood immediately.

"I am terribly sorry to cut this celebration short, but I believe it is time for us to take our leave." She said curtly. After a brief goodbye, the rest of the Paladins and the Princess quickly grouped up. "Keith and Shiro both took off in that direction. If what the Pl'xxra are saying is true, then I fear we may have a dire situation on our hands."

"Coran, are you hearing this?" She asked through her comms on her earrings.

"Yes, Princess. I'm pulling up their locations right now." There was a pause, which seemed like hours. "They're both alive, but their vitals show that they're most likely moving quickly."

"We have to find them Allura. Not even Shiro and Keith could take on one of those... Ox-those monsters." Hunk tried and failed to pronounce the name of the O'xtrnis.

"You should hurry, Number One's vitals just spiked!" Coran yelped. The remaining Paladins and Allura took their cues and ran.

 ** _VOLTRON__**

Keith wouldn't admit it, but he was grateful that Shiro had followed him. He would not have calmed down, and it most likely would've gotten him hurt or killed. His Galran eyes allowed him to have excellent night vision. But it wouldn't've done anything to help him find his way out of the dark forest. He was brought out of his musing when Shiro stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" The younger Paladin asked. Shiro didn't say anything, but held a finger to his lips. _Be quiet._ Keith got the cue and was on alert instantly, his bayard at his side.

"I think there's something out there." Shiro whispered. "Stay close." Shiro looked around, looking for the source of the footsteps he heard earlier. Suddenly a blur shot out of the bushes and knocked the two off their feet. Shiro shot up quickly and activated his arm, the hum of purple energy lighting up the forest. Something growled and Shiro lashed out. His arm hit something solid, and the creature let out a roar. The younger paladin had gotten up and drawn his bayard. He saw the creature swipe Shiro and the older paladin cried out.

"Shiro!" Keith roared and lunged at the _thing._ His tail helped him keep his balance as he used the trees around him to leap off and straight at the monster. It roared and tried to hit him with it's tail. He ducked and rolled. The creature finally stopped moving and Keith got a good look at it. It looked like a snake with horns on its head, and two forelegs. It was then that he realized the eyes glowed an ominous red. The red reminded him of a sunset, or of his Lion. He felt like he should've been doing something, but the red.. it was... enticing. It was... It..

"Keith, watch out!" Shiro shouted. Keith snapped out of his trance, but it was too late. The monster gave a screech and clamped on to Keith's midsection. He screamed as he was shook around by the monster. It dropped him to the ground and he hit the forest floor with a dull thud. "KEITH!" Shiro screamed. He got up from his crouched position and ignored the flaring pain from his leg. He activated his Galra arm and roared. The monster gave a roar of its own when the Black Paladin struck out and jabbed its foreleg. His arm gave enough light that he could see where he was hitting the creature. But all he saw was Keith getting attacked by the monster, and he used his rage to fuel his attacks.

Keith coughed, still awake but losing consciousness quickly. He watched as his brother repeatedly hit the monster, blinded with rage. "Shiro-" The Red Paladin coughed wetly. He looked down at his armor where he'd coughed. It was stained with red. His midsection felt like it was on fire, so in a twisted way, it made senses that he would be coughing up blood. His vision blurred violently and he stopped trying to move. He looked around and saw blurry shapes that moved too fast for his muddled mind to follow. "S-shiro!" He yelled, his voice hoarse and weak. The older Paladin heard Keith's pitiful cry and he stopped, looking for the source of the voice. The monster saw the opportunity and tried to hit Shiro with its tail. But the Black Paladin saw the looming appendage and ducked, grabbing onto the tail and climbing the monster. He grabbed its neck with a vice-like grip and started to slash at it with his prosthetic.

The creature screeched and started thrashing around, throwing Shiro wildly around. He tried to hold on with everything he had, but the monster wasn't having it. With a final buck, it threw him off. He felt himself go sailing in the air. Shiro suddenly felt his trip in the air cut short as he felt a sharp, intense pain in the back of his head that traveled down his back. The helmet absorbed most of the impact, but it shattered around the back and he fell to the ground. His vision was filled with red and black spots as he tried to shake the pain. Something was wrong. He couldn't move his lower body as he tried to sit up. Nausea swirled throughout his body and he nearly toppled over. The monster charged his prone form, but suddenly there was a bright light and the monster screeched in pain as the light attacked it. The black spots returned, and despite his resistance, consciousness left him quickly. The last thing he saw was a blur of green and blue shapes running towards him.


	4. Voltron - Interlude

**Hello all! Sorry for such a late update but writers block has taken its vice-like grip and grabbed my brain.**

 **This isn't an actual chapter, just an interlude with a funny short about Voltron because inspiration for this story has left me - but I'm not gonna stop updating it, just whenever I get inspiration for it**

 **Thanks for understanding!**

 **VOLTRON_**

"Start training sequence!" Keith yelled to the Castle. A gladiator fell from the ceiling and drew its sword. Keith activated his bayard and got into a fighting stance. The gladiator ran at Keith, and brought its sword down. The Red Paladin blocked the swipe and pivoted on his heel, slashing at the robot. It sparked and backed up a few paces before re-assessing the Paladin. Keith ran at it, not giving the robot a chance to fight back as he stabbed at the gladiator. The robot sidestepped his blows and faked a jab by its elbow and ducked underneath Keith's extended arm. It grabbed him and tossed him across the room. He rolled to a stop, and propped himself up on his elbows.

"Damn it.." He muttered through grit teeth. He tucked some of his hair behind his ear and got up. Of course, it fell into his face again. The gladiator took this distraction to throw a punch that Keith barely ducked in time from. "Pause training sequence!" He shouted right as the sword was a few inches away from his face. "Stupid hair.." he muttered. His bayard deactivated as he stood.

"You should really consider getting that cut." Shiro said, entering the training deck. Keith just huffed and crossed his arms.

"Whatever, mom." He muttered. The older paladin chuckled and slid a hair tie off of his wrist. He motioned for the Red Paladin to turn around. Keith turned, albeit stiffly. "What are you doing?"

"Putting your hair up. You'll appreciate it, trust me." Shiro replied, expertly parting the black mullet into three parts before braiding it quickly. "Hiroku-san would always make me braid her hair since she knew I could." He explained, tying the end. "There, was that so difficult? Can't you see better now?" Keith turned and looked around. He would admit, everything was not covered in strands of hair now.

"Yeah, thanks." Keith mumbled, not looking at his older brother in the eyes. Shiro would admit, he did a damn fine job at braiding hair, especially since it had been over a year since he'd braided hair.

"Nii-san, you know you can just ask for help." Shiro reprimanded lightly. Keith didn't reply, he just shook his head slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," the younger paladin muttered, "I'm fine."

"Yeah, well you don't seem fine to me. You've got that look in your eye." Shiro tried catching Keith's attention. "You're clearly upset. I'm here if you want to t-"

"How can you just be like that?!" Keith finally shouted, pulling away from the Black Paladin. "Everyone but Allura has been acting like it's fine, but it's not!"

"Woah, Keith, what's not fine?" Shiro asked, eyes widening slightly at his little brother's outburst.

"Me! I'm **Galran.** " Keith emphasized on the 'Galra' bit. "I'm a monster! I'm one of the freaks that destroyed Allura's life, I'm one of the monsters that tortured you and took your damn arm! How can everyone just act like I'm normal, when everyone knows that I'm just as bad as those bloodthirsty, disgusting monst-"

"Don't you DARE say another word Keith." Shiro growled, grabbing his arm and standing to his full height. "You are NOT a monster. First off, you weren't even alive when the Galra destroyed Altea. Second, you weren't there when I was captured. There wasn't anything you could've done, and I'm sure as hell that you wouldn't allow ANY of that to happen." Shiro pulled his now sobbing brother into a hug. "You're not a freak, or a monster, nii-san." He mumbled into Keith's ear.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry... _I'm sorry."_

 **(Authors note)**

 **Hello lovelies, so sorry that this isn't a legitimate update, but I am alive! I've lost interest in this story, but I WILL continue to update it whenever I get back to creative writing class (after winter break)**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **~ Mouse-chan**


	5. Chapter 4 - Authron Kroth

**Hello - sorry for the wait! I'm so pumped for the new season of Voltron, so I'll probably have inspiration to post chapters again!**

The first thing Shiro was aware of was noise. It sounded like he was underwater. Muffled voices that sounded loud. The second thing he was aware of was the splitting headache he had. The pain throbbed at the nape of his neck. Slowly cracking an eye open, he realized that he was inside one of the cryo-replenishers. _I guess the blue tint to my vision was a dead giveaway._ He thought bemusedly.

"-aking up!" A muffled voice, _Pidge_ , shouted. The barrier between his body and the ground suddenly disappeared, and the oldest Paladin found himself falling towards said ground. Thankfully, strong arms caught him. He blearily looked up at Allura, blinking owlishly.

"Wh'hpn'd?" He slurred, his inner self whacking him upside the head for that poor excuse for words.

"You and Keith were attacked by an O'xtrnis." Allura informed him. His hazed state suddenly broke as he realized one crucial fact he didn't notice before.

"I can't feel my legs..." Shiro said under his breath. He looked up at the Altean princess, eyes wide with shock. "Why can't I feel my legs?"

"Shiro, you received severe damage to your neck and spinal cord when that damn O'xtrnis launched you into a cliff." Pidge said, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Her fists were clenched tight as she stood straighter. "The healing pods can only do so much-" she said, walking towards the Black Paladin- "the rest is up to physical therapy." Allura helped him to lay down on an infirmary bed. His eyes were closing against his will, any energy he thought he had was instantly sapped the moment he found out about his injury.

 _Something's missing..._ Shiro thought to himself as his eyes drifted shut.

~ **VOLTRON** ~

 _Pups and their families ran as smoke filled the air. Screams of terror were heard as Galrans ran for their lives, grabbing their young and fleeing as fast as they could. Ships in the air, **Altean ships** , fired mercilessly at the alien race. It was a living nightmare, as bodies were scattered along the streets and buildings were shot to nothing but dust and chunks of stone._

He gasped, jerking upwards. Blinking rapidly, he felt sweat beads dripping down his forehead. A young Galra, with a sharp canine tooth sticking out and wide yellow eyes, looked at him.

"Are you okay?" The unfamiliar face asked, tilting his head. "You were crying and screaming in your sleep. I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't awaken."

He swallowed thickly, realizing how parched he was. "Y-yeah," he mumbled, "I'm okay."

"I'll get you some water." The little Galran said, before bowing and leaving.

 _What was that?_ _A dream? A memory?_ He rubbed his eyes tiredly, ears flicking in mild annoyance. Standing, he felt a wave of dizziness and had to brace himself on a wall. Shaking the vertigo off, he made his way to the bathroom. Turning on a faucet, he splashed water on his face, the small amount of fur on his face dripping. Looking up, he glanced at his reflection, albeit boredly.

"My prince?" The young Galra had a cup of water in his claw. "Your water?"

"Huh? Oh, thanks." He said, drinking it greedily. He stopped abruptly when he noticed the younger Galran looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry-" he apologized sheepishly, "-I was a little thirsty." Placing the cup down, he ran a claw through his hair, noting that he should probably get it cut soon.

"My prince, are you feeling okay?" The little pup asked, peering up at his elder.

"Eh? Yeah, I'm fine." He paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, what is your name again?"

"M-my name is Vraxxit." The younger Galra snapped a hasty salute and bowed. "It is my honor to serve you, Prince Authron Kroth."


	6. Chapter 5 - Otōto

**Hi y'all! I'm sooo sorry I haven't updated in like, forever, but I have a lot IRL happening! Hopefully I can upload more often!**

 **I don't own Voltron, because if I did, it would be a LOT different.**

 **Thanks for reading and enjoy!**

"So, how long have you been working here?" Authron asked Vraxxit. The young Galra's brows furrowed for a moment before looking back up.

"I think I've been here since I was born. My family has been faithfully serving the line of Zarkon since, well," Vraxxit rubbed the back of his furry neck sheepishly, "since before my great great grandfather was birthed." Authron hummed. He and his little servant Galra had been chatting lightly since he woke up from his nightmare. He had found that Vraxxit was a Northern Galra, like himself. Northern Galra sported furry ears, sometimes a tail, and really, just a lot of fur in general. They also exhibited traits of heightened smell and eyesight, which made them great for tracking and hunting.

Southern Galra and Eastern Galra were similar if you weren't really looking hard enough. Southern Galra had scales instead of fur, and more angular, sharp features. They had no tail and their ears were leathery. Eastern Galra were more like an aquatic creature, they too had scales and angular features; albeit theirs were not as defined. Western Galra were entirely unique, and looked similar to a human, albeit their skin had different patterns and markings with bright colors or darker shades.

"My Prince, you seem a bit... distant." Vraxxit tilted his head, ears flicking lightly.

"I'm fine, I just-" _had a weird-ass dream_ "-didn't sleep well." Suddenly he found a tiny hand on his forehead as the younger Galra stuck his tongue out in concentration.

"Well, you don't seem to have a fever, nor do you smell sick." Vraxxit mumbled. Authron nearly jumped out of his skin when the door to his room was practically slammed open.

"Authron Kroth!" A female Galra, who looked to be middle aged, glared at the young prince. "Do you realize how late it is?"

"N-no..." _I suppose I lost track of time..._

"You have training in a half-varga and then it's off to meet with your mother about your coronation!" The female huffed, stalking towards the startled prince. She grabbed him by the scruff and he instinctively whined out of embarrassment and being treated so gruffly. "Your mother, my sister, is going to kill me when she realizes that you've forgotten about today's schedule! I am responsible for you while she is away, do NOT make me become a B'xradggl's hide because of your quiznaking tardiness!" Authron was mildly shocked the female hadn't run out of air while she ranted. His Aunt, the Lady Yimir, was certainly a force to be reckoned with.

"I-I'm sorry, I got sidetracked talking to Vraxxit." He apologized.

"Whatever," she muttered, finally releasing his scruff so he could walk (run) beside her, "it's not my fault if Dezca Hral mops the floor with you."

 **VOLTRON_**

For the second time he woke up, Shiro was definitely not as groggy. He felt more alert, albeit still mildly disorientated. The Black Paladin stared at the ceiling, a cold numbness spreading throughout his body. What happened to me... he thought, reaching up with his prosthetic arm. The last thing I remeber is talking to Keith... then we were attacked- he shot up, any remaining lethargy quickly leaving him. Despite not being able to move his lower half, he looked around wildly at his surroundings.

"Keith?" He called out. No answer. He was in the infirmary, shouldn't Keith be here too?

"Shiro? You're awake again!" A voice exclaimed from the doorway. Lance stood at the entrance to the infirmary, a tray of green space goo in his hands. "You were restless, even when you passed out. We were really worried." Lance breathed the last part quietly.

"Lance, where's Keith?" Shiro asked, completely ignoring the Blue Paladin's relief. A look of sadness flashed on Lance's face before it was set in a frown of grim determination.

"He-he was bit by la estupida puta and he hasn't woken up." Lance told Shiro, avoiding the older Paladin's gaze. "His wounds were healed by the pods, but..." An unspoken he's not okay screamed in Shiro's ears.

"Is.. is he-"

"No! He's not dead, he's just in this odd state-" Lance reassured, "-he's not asleep, but he's not awake either. After the healing pod opened up, he woke up but he doesn't respond to nerve stimulus but his pupils dialated with light reactions."

Shiro didn't know how to react. His brother was alive, but he wasn't awake? _My head hurts..._ he thought as he rubbed his temple.

"I'll ask Coran to get some pain-reliever medicine." Lance put the tray next to the older within arms reach and left, leaving Shiro to his own devices. He experimentally flexed his arm. I can still feel my upper half, but the lower half of my body... he glared at his now-useless legs. Concentrating, he tried to move his foot, even his toes.

"Chikushō.." he muttered. He winced internally, knowing full well if his okaa-san were here, he would be given a through, stern punishment for swearing. Shiro shuddered internally. "I need to get this fixed so I can help Keith."

How much time do I have though...

 **VOLTRON_**

Authron panted as he dodged another sword. If he were looking hard enough, he would've seen his reflection in the glint of the metal. Dezca Hral wasn't a Galra to be trifled with, and was a terrifying instructor. He blocked a blow and parried, attempting to use his other hand, but Dezca saw this and reacted.

"You're moving your feet too slow! Footwork and balance-" a foot stuck out, tripping the young prince, "-are vital in a fight." Dezca stood over Authron, blade held at his throat. Slow clapping was heard as Hral sheathed the blade.

"Mother?" Authron smelled her scent, a warm feeling bubbling up inside him. Dezca bowed, saluting at the same time.

"Authr', you should know not to switch hands so suddenly, especially when you're recovering from a blow. It gives your opponent an opportunity to strike while you are distracted." One of the Emperor's daughters, Moir Kroth, told her son. Authron cringed internally at the pet name his mother called him. "I see you've been talking with Vraxxit. He seems so happy being able to talk to you like a normal Galra, and not like a servant."

"Shouldn't matter if he's a servant or not, he's still one of us." Authron muttered, sheathing his sword and approaching the Princess. "Anyway, how was your expedition?"

"It went well. Two more planets were conquered. They put up a fight, but ultimately, we managed to take them." Moir replied.

"That's great! Soon, the Gr'anith sector will be totally ours, right?"

"Correct. You've been keeping up with your studies on the sectors we have conquered." Moir praised. Authron and his mother left the training arena and walked down the halls. "Authron, I've been noticing you've been acting strange."

"Have I?" He replied, confused. "I guess I had an odd dream last night." His ears twitched slightly.

"Authr', you can tell me about it if you want." Moir reprimanded lightly. "I am your mother, and it is my responsibility to care for you." She stopped and pulled her son into a gentle embrace. He purred, a deep rumble in his throat and chest, as his mother nuzzled the space between his ears.

 **Voltron_**

Convincing Coran to have him see Keith was hard, but Shiro, with the aid of Pidge and Lance, pulled it off nonetheless. "We have jurtans that you can sit in!" Coran came back with what looked like a wheelchair. Lance blanched, and looked at the oldest Altean dryly.

"Coran, that's a wheelchair."

"No, it's a jurtan!"

"It's not-oh, nevermind."

And now Shiro wheeled himself into the room where they were keeping Keith.

 _Keith..._ The oldest Paladin thought helplessly, as he saw his younger brother. Keith looked relatively fine, any physical wounds that he might've had were healed by the pods. "Do you know when he'll wake up?" He asked Coran.

"I'm sorry, but the venom that's inside his body reached his mind. I'm not sure what will happen now.."

Shiro felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

 _I'm useless... Keith, I'm so sorry._


End file.
